Encounters
You are interested in having an international encounter with a German scout group? You come to Germany or a German group visits you and spends a camp together or sets up a project. Whatever you do, it will be an unforgettable experience!
Here you can find some essential information.
An encounter - what is it actually?
An International Encounter is also defined as:
"A meeting of at least two groups from different countries, who carry out a joint programme over a certain period of time in one of the partners' countries of origin."
During such an encounter you can learn an incredible amount about each other's cultures and also discover Scouting in a new way: You have the opportunity to get new perspectives on things and your group children can also discover other ways of life in a playful way. It is definitely worth it! You can get an impression of the experiences of others here.
The DPSG supports you in the planning and implementation of encounters. In order for your project to receive financial support, it must meet the following criteria:
- The meeting is planned and carried out together with the partner group (time period, place, group, trip, programme, methods, pedagogical goals).
- There is a minimum number of programme days
- The numerical ratio between the German and foreign youth groups is balanced
- The group is accommodated together
- The focus is on intercultural learning
- A return encounter is planned
Find a German partner group!
This all sounds great and you are totally motivated, but you are still wondering how to find a partner group?
There is a new mediation system for scouts that works like any other online portal. You can simply post a request or see if a group that matches your ideas has already advertised something.
Otherwise, you can also write an E-mail to internationaldpsg.de.
Financial support
In Germany, youth policy is funded at all levels of government. At the federal level, youth policy measures are predominantly funded under the Federal Child and Youth Plan (Kinder- und Jugendplan des Bundes, KJP). In order to obtain funding, your German partner group must apply in time. In general, it is necessary to contact us before 1 December the year before the encounter will take place and hand in your preregistration (Voranmeldung). The second step is to hand in the application documents until 15 February the year of the encounter. The German group will find more information and contact persons here.
Please note that there are specific offices for certain countries like France, Poland, Russia, Czech Republic, Greece or Israel. There might be other deadlines for encounters with groups from theses countries. Your German partner group should not hesitate to contact us about the details.